Throughout Time II
by xXfireXflyXx
Summary: Vataloni and ObiWan stumble upon Luke Skywalker and find R2 has been looking for them. A message from Princess Leia of the rebels brings them both back into war.
1. Hope is Found

_I do not own the characters created by George Lucas, only my own. I also use direct dialogue from the movie, since some scenes are copied from it. I do not claim to own them. Much thanks to the book 'A New Hope' by Ryder Windham to help with the lines and stuff for this one, and to the online scripts I've found. They really help. _

Hey guys! I was so impressed with how many people enjoyed the first part of this series, so I've decided to continue it on sooner then expected! Hope you enjoy it:D

* * *

_Vataloni's View_

She stared across the hut at Obi-Wan, his eyes closed and deep in meditation. He was speaking with Qui-Gon, most likely, and would not notice her eyes lingering on him. Over the past decade or so, he had spent a great deal of time speaking with his previous Master, usually about his worries, or things he did not want to trouble Vataloni with. On some occasions she was grateful he did not come to her, since there were many instances where she could not think of the answers he had needed.

Qui-Gon was a fascinating man, even though he was merely a voice of the Force. Obi-Wan had taught Vataloni how to speak to him, and how to sooth her thoughts so she could listen to the dead Jedi Master properly. Her use of the Force had grown much stronger under his teachings, and now all thoughts of her still being a Sith were long forgotten. Dueling skills, meditation, and persuasion were among Vataloni's strong points, and she was proud of her abilities now, no longer doubting herself.

One thing she wished she could have changed was time.

The years had been somewhat kind to Obi-Wan. He was still physically fit, and his hair, though no longer brown, had not thinned, as most men's would have. She usually made many playful pokes at his whitening scalp; it was something they joked about together. But Obi-Wan was nearly twenty years her senior, and all the signs of his old age had the tendency to show themselves whenever Vataloni took the time to look deeply upon him.

As for her looks, they had not changed very much. Her hair had grown much longer, and she usually kept the brown mass of curls tied up and out of the way, finding it to be a burden on some occasions. She had grown fitter, and lost her thin body. It was now a little more toned then it had been when she first met Obi-Wan all those years ago in the Jedi Temple.

They had spent a great deal of their lives in the deserts of Tatooine, much to Vataloni's displeasure. She longed to be back in the action of space, fighting villains and seeing to the safety of a certain Senator. The hot climate had turned her pale skin to a light bronze tone, and she hated it. When Vataloni finally noticed she was no longer pale as she once was, she began to cover up in her heavy Jedi cloak whenever she went outside, which was also a heavy burden.

However much Vataloni hated the tiny planet, she knew they were doing something important to the galaxy. Luke Skywalker had grown up into quite the handsome young man. Obi-Wan would take the time to see him every so often, and Vataloni used to join him during those check-ups, but once Luke turned fifteen, he looked too much like his father, and Vataloni could no longer look at the boy without feeling the sorrow in her soul. She missed Anakin. She missed Padme. She even missed Mace Windu, though not as much. Although she was ecstatic about spending all of her time with the love of her life, she wished she could have seen her old friends again, as they once were.

The one man she made a habit of trying not to think about was Chancellor Palpatine, now officially known as The Emperor. Tatooine was a far off planet, and little word about the comings and goings of politics reached the planet, but whenever Vataloni went down to Mos Eisely, she made the effort to ask around and find out what had been happening. News had reached the common folk, and the gossip was that The Emperor and his apprentice, Lord Vader, were on a galaxy wide search for the remaining Jedi, killing them off once found. There were many times Vataloni worried about her safety, but all she needed to do was look outside, and she would realize nothing could ever hurt her out here.

* * *

"What are we doing today?" Vataloni inquired as Obi-Wan rustled around in the back room of their hut, "You seem to be in a bit of a fuss..."

"The Tuskens are on the move," Obi-Wan explained, tossing her a dark cloak, "It's in Luke's region... I want to make sure he isn't out and in the way."

Vataloni slid into the cloak and placed her lightsaber on her hip, "Are you sure your up for a walk... You seem a little stiff today."

"I'm fine," he stressed, sending her a warm smile, "I just slept a little funny last night... Managed to get these old bones locked together."

"I told you we need a bigger bed," Vataloni sighed, glancing back to the small bed they had been sharing for years, "It's not going to get easier, you know."

"Vataloni," he groaned, pulling up the hood of his cloak, "What did we talk about?"

"You tune out all forms of my nagging," she grumbled, pushing past him and out the door, "I know!"

She quickly readjusted her sandals and stepped out onto the sand, pulling her hood up to shield her eyes from the glaring sun. Their hut was quite close to Luke and his family, which made it easy to get to incase of an emergency. The Lars knew they were living close by, and at times acted too arrogant when it came to tending to their fields. Vataloni knew the crops were important for their survival, but Luke was important to the survival of the Jedi kind. He needed more security when he was outside.

Obi-Wan gripped Vataloni's hand firmly as they walked along the dunes. She often wondered why they wore such dark cloaks when they were patrolling. Obi-Wan's excuse was that they made them look like a Tusken Raider, and would ward off anyone who tried to hurt them. Surprisingly, it had worked on several occasions.

"Do you hear that?" she asked suddenly, freezing on the spot, "Do you feel that?"

He nodded, "Luke is coming closer... He's impatient..."

"He'll be irrational," she sighed, urging him forward, "And can you feel the Tuskens? They are close too... We're all within a hundred feet or so..."

"We must not rush into this," Obi-Wan chided, holding her back to a slow walk in the sands, "We'll only intervene if Luke needs us. You know the rules..."

"He mustn't know," Vataloni mumbled, reciting Yoda's final words before they departed, "Ever."

The pair moved slowly towards a rocky cliff. It was the peak of the hill, and if they walked any further, they would most likely slide down the large dune to the rocky bottom. Vataloni's breath hitched in her throat when Luke's orange landspeeder pulled up and the young, sandy haired Luke Skywalker jumped out, stumbling forward on the rocky gravel to a droid. Vataloni's face wrinkled as she pondered over the explanation of him having such a magnificent droid, and even more so, why it was out here. Her eyes narrowed and realization hit when she skimmed over the codings on him, "R2..."

"What?"

"It's R2," she whispered urgently, pulling Obi-Wan closer to glance around the wall. She pointed at the droid Luke was standing in front of, "It's R2! And look... C3PO... Why are they out here?"

"Are you sure it's them?" Obi-Wan asked skeptically, "There are a lot of droids out here, Vataloni... Most work on the fields-"

"Can't you tell by the markings?" she demanded, "Look! It's him! Obi-Wan, this means something!"

"Don't jump to conclusions," he scolded, but his eyes slowly changed to curiosity, "I thought we left them with Bail Organa... Surely they would belong to Leia by now."

"Exactly!" she hissed happily, rolling her eyes, "Don't you see! This means something is wrong! I can feel her distress even now!"

"Vataloni, should we- Oh dear."

During their bickering, the couple had not noticed the group of Sand People that had attacked Luke and his landspeeder. When they looked back, the Tuskens were moving around the speeder, throwing things here and there, while Luke lay unconscious on the ground. Vataloni noted R2 had shuffled back into a small cave below some rock formations, and C3PO was on the ground, his arm separate from his golden body.

"How did we not here that?" Vataloni mused, drawing out her lightsaber. Obi-Wan grinned, "A lovers spat can block out the world."

She gave him a quick kiss before starting to climb the hazel coloured stone, putting herself above the action of everything. She wished she had something to shoot the pesky raiders with, but Obi-Wan refused to have a 'primitive' blaster in the hut. Glancing back down to the ground, she noticed Obi-Wan had removed his black cloak, and dawned a brown one with long sleeves, one that nearly made him look twice his normal size.

"It's a good look for you," she laughed as she continued to climb up the small wall, faintly hearing him chuckle to himself. When she finally reached the top of the rocky wall, she spotted several bantha creatures sitting unattended while their owners ravaged Luke's vehicle. A howl suddenly echoed from beside her, and she grinned. Obi-Wan's impressions of large creatures were getting better with age, and she nearly believed them to be real. With his large hood masking his face, and the long sleeves of his cloak trailing down, he stumbled down the sandy hill, waving his long arms widely and shouting.

The Tuskens looked up anxiously from their work and finally spotted Obi-Wan's form moving towards them. Hastily, they picked up their belongings and scuttled off, leaping onto the banthas and leaving. Vataloni grinned; they were cowards in small numbers. Luckily, there had only been three or four of them. If they had the entire tribe there, trouble would have ensured.

Vataloni scrambled off the rocks and hurried down to Obi-Wan, who was kneeling beside Luke, his palm pressed firmly against the young man's forehead. Vataloni looked back to R2, who almost seemed concerned about Luke's condition, and was leaning forward on its legs. She smiled and lowered her hood, "Hello there! Come here, little one. There's no need to be frightened anymore, R2-D2."

The droid beeped enthusiastically at its name, then the tone of the beeping lowered, and his head spiraled towards Luke. Obi-Wan removed his hood and sighed, "Oh... Don't you worry about him, he'll be fine."

Vataloni placed a light hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and studied Luke's features, finally noticing him stirring.

"Easy now," Obi-Wan chuckled, helping the young man sit up, "Rest easy, son, you've had a busy day. You're fortunate to be all in one piece."

"Ben," Vataloni chided, giving his shoulder a squeeze, "Don't lecture him... He's only just woken up!"

Luke frowned and ran a hand through his hair, studying herself and her mate. Vataloni kneeled down so he wouldn't have to look up at the sun anymore. She grasped his face and took a good look at his eye, "Got a bit of a black eye there... Oh well. Something to prove you tangled with the raiders."

"I don't think I'd want to brag about losing," Luke muttered, gently prodding his eye. Obi-Wan smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes and cheeks protruding out, "Perhaps you could brag about surviving, young one."

Luke stared at Obi-Wan for a moment, and his eyes suddenly widened, "Ben! Ben Kenobi? Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"You seem to be famous," Vataloni chuckled, grasping Luke's callused hands and hauling him to his feet. Once she was sure he could stand without swaying too much, she gently held Obi-Wan's elbow and helped him up. She knew he hated it when she helped, but she did it because she loved him. Obi-Wan's eyes squinted as he studied Luke, "The Jundland wastes are not to be traveled lightly. Tell me young Luke, what brings you out this far?"

"Oh!" Luke returned back to the conversation and beckoned for R2 to come closer, "It's this little droid... I think he's searching for his former Master. I've never seen such devotion in a droid before!"

Vataloni smiled down at R2, remembering his loyalty from the past. He was a good little droid, and a useful one at that.

"He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Is he a relative of yours?" Luke asked, placing his hands comfortably on his hips and glancing back at the driod, "Do you know who he's talking about?"

"He says he belongs to Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Vataloni repeated, holding in the urge to smile broadly. She would have told him right out who they were, but Obi-Wan did not seem to want to say anything quite yet. Obi-Wan walked over to a large rock and sat down, his hand going to his white beard, stroking it, "Obi-Wan Kenobi... That is a name I have not heard in a very long time..."

Luke and Vataloni moved closer to him, R2 following Vataloni closely. With a hint of smugness, Luke continued, "I think my uncle knows him... He said he was dead."

Vataloni snorted and looked away, a wry grin on her face. She ignored the scolding look she received from Obi-Wan as he mused aloud, "Obi-Wan Kenobi... Oh, he's not dead. Not yet."

"So you know him?" Luke asked excitedly, his energy level suddenly picking up. Obi-Wan smiled kindly, "Of course I know him... He's me! I haven't gone by the name of Obi-Wan since... oh... Before you were born."

Vataloni nodded, remembering when he had told her to call him Ben, and nothing more. She found the name too humble for such a great man, but he would not have her call him 'Master' or 'Obi-Wan' when they landed on Tatooine. Perhaps the name brought back too many horrible memories, for both of them, and he was just sparing them the heartache.

"Then... Then the droid does belong to you," Luke assumed, stepping aside and letting R2 move awkwardly over the sand to be included in the circle. Vataloni frowned, "I don't remember us owning R2... He belonged to..."

She swallowed back Anakin's name and fell silent, earning her a curious look from Luke. She smiled and held out her name, "Most people don't know me... Vataloni Kenobi."

Though they had not married, she took Obi-Wan's last name to keep things simple when it came to meeting people. She couldn't remember her last name, or even her second name, so Kenobi suited her just fine.

"There are rumours about you," Luke explained, shaking her hand firmly, "About a beautiful temptress who lives with Ben Kenobi... I guess these rumours are true."

Vataloni felt her cheeks darken, and Obi-Wan held in a laugh, "Temptress? Well... You seem to have an awful lot to live up to, Vataloni."

She smacked his arm lightly and shot him a look, "Be nice."

R2 beeped enthusiastically and Obi-Wan sighed, glancing around to the large, surrounding cliffs, "We should start to head indoors. The Sandpeople frighten easily, but they will return, and in larger numbers."

Vataloni helped Obi-Wan back to his feet, and as the pair made their way back to Luke's speeder, the young man froze, "I think... 3PO!"

"Where has that klutz gone?" Vataloni mused. She had not spent a great deal of him with the golden droid, even when he served Padme. Vataloni found him a little annoying.

"There," Obi-Wan stated, rushing past Luke and Vataloni, over to the broken body of 3PO. The droid groaned loudly, "Oh... Where am I? I must have taken a bad step!"

"Can you stand?" Vataloni inquired. Luke hurried to her side, bending down to grasp one of 3PO's arms, "We need to get out of here before the Sandpeople return."

"I don't think I can stand," the droid wailed loudly, "You go on, Master Luke. There's no point in you risking your life on my account. I'm done for!"

"Now what kinda talk is that?" Luke asked lightly, both he and Obi-Wan helped 3PO to his feet, "You'll be fine!"

Vataloni's senses suddenly picked up, and she could feel a large number of creatures making their way towards the small group. They couldn't reveil to Luke they were Jedis out in the open, not here. She winced, "We need to get out of here... They're on the move."

"We have a hut, not far from here," Obi-Wan explained, "If this is still flyable, I will give you directions, and we can fix your droid there."

Vataloni caught a hint of marvel in Luke's eye. Apparently, no one had ever been kind to him for no reason before.

* * *

Vataloni now wished their hut had been larger, since everything seemed horribly cramped as the three humans and two droids squished inside. Luke was busy fixing 3PO's arm, R2 was hovering around Obi-Won while he sat on the stone bench near the door, and Vataloni was seated on their table, her usual place ot meditation. It was an odd place to meditate, but it was the only clear space in the hut left for meditating, unless she wanted to use the floor.

The group had been in the hut for quite some time now, and the main topic of conversation was Luke's father. Both Obi-Wan and Vataloni made the effort to leave out some details, and told Luke about his father before he turned to the Dark Side of the Force.

"No, my father didn't fight in the Clone wars," Luke chuckled, disbelieving what Vataloni had just told him, "He was a navigator on a spice freighter."

"That's what your uncle told you," Vataloni countered calmly, "He didn't agree with your father's ideals... Thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved."

"You fought in the Clone Wars?" Luke asked, slightly astonished, "Really?"

"We both did," Obi-Wan said finally, coming out of his silence, "We were once Jedi Knights, like your father. Vataloni still clings to the belief there is hope for our kind."

Vataloni frowned; she had never heard him talk like that before. Perhaps it was just a way to get Luke to sympathize with their cause.

"I wish I had known him..." Luke muttered solemnly, "My father sounds... great."

"He was," Vataloni agreed, "He was one of the best pilots the galaxy had ever seen, and a very cunning warrior."

"I understand you've become quite the pilot yourself," Obi-Wan complimented, causing Luke to grin bashfully, "But your father was a good friend of ours... Which reminds me."

He rose to his feet and shuffled over to one of their wooden trunks, gently popping the lock and opening it. Vataloni wondered what he was retrieving, but smiled when she noticed he had taken out Anakin's old lightsaber.

"Your father wanted you to have this, when you were old enough," Obi-Wan explained, handing the lightsaber to Luke. The young man held it gently at first, then pressed the igniter, causing the blue blade to hum to life. His eyes widened and he swung it about, noting how easily it swung through the air. Obi-Wan watched him for a moment before going on, "But your uncle wouldn't allow it. Thought you'd follow old Obi-Wan on some damned-fool idealistic crusade like your father did."

"Sir," 3PO piped from behind his Master, "If you won't be needing me, I'll shut off."

"Sure, go ahead."

Luke stared up at the lightsaber curiously, "What is this?"

"It's your father's lightsaber," Vataloni explained, "It's the weapon of a Jedi..."

"Not as clumsy as a blaster," Obi-Wan noted, causing Vataloni to grin, remembering his dislike for blasters, "An elegant weapon for a more civilized day... For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... Before the Empire."

Vataloni picked up in the sadness riding on his voice and sent him a sympathetic look, which he caught. Luke, who was still fascinated with the weapon, suddenly asked, "How did he die?"

Obi-Wan fumbled over his words, and Vataloni decided to answer the question, "A young Sith named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of Ben's, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father."

It was the truth, just in a twisted way. Vataloni figured that would have to do until he was ready to hear the whole truth.

"Now the Jedi are extinct," Obi-Wan sighed, finding his voice, "Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force."

"The Force?"

Obi-Wan went into a detailed explanation of the Force and Vataloni watched a spark ignite in Luke's eyes. He was hooked. She knew they finally had the right person to help bring balance back to the galaxy. He was different then his father, not in many ways, but there was a difference; she could feel it.

"Now, let's see if we can't figure out what you are, and where you've come from," Obi-Wan chuckled, kneeling down in front of R2. Vataloni knew he wouldn't tell Luke straight out that he knew about the small droid, so she decided to hold her tongue on the matter. Luke turned off the lightsaber and set it down on the table, "I saw a part of a message..."

Obi-Wan pressed one of the buttons expertly and a hologram suddenly flew out of the droid, the image of a young woman in white standing on the floor. Vataloni knew it was Leia; she looked just like her mother. They had the same eyes, even though it was somewhat difficult to tell the colour from the blue hologram.

"Seem to have found it," Vataloni muttered, kneeling down beside Obi-Wan and watching the young woman speak.

"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

The hologram flickered and turned off just as the sound of blasts echoed around her. Vataloni stared at the spot where Leia had been standing and sighed, "I do believe we were just given an assignment."

"After all these years..." Obi-Wan mused, smirking, "Luke... You will need to learn the ways of the Force if you are to come with use to Alderaan."

Vataloni nodded, "We'll need all the help we can get ... This droid does belong to your now, it only seems fit you come."

Luke's eyes darted between the two, and he burst out laughing, "Alderaan? I'm not going to Alderaan! It's late, and I'm in for it as it is!"

Vataloni ground her teeth together, getting slightly annoyed with his attitude. His father would have jumped at the chance to leave this rock!

"We need your help, Luke," Obi-Wan implored, "She needs your help! I'm getting too old for this sort of thing... And Vataloni just... could use some help."

"Smooth," she muttered, shooting him a look. Obi-Wan ignored her and continued to banter back and forth with Luke, each not backing down from their side of the argument. Vataloni was about to join in, but her senses began to pick up. Something was happening at the Lars home. Something terrible. The enemy was here.


	2. Mos Eisley and Han Solo

_I do not own the characters created by George Lucas, only my own. I also use direct dialogue from the movie, since some scenes are copied from it. I do not claim to own them. Much thanks to the book 'A New Hope' by Ryder Windham to help with the lines and stuff for this one, and to the online scripts I've found. They really help. _

_

* * *

_

_Vataloni's View_

"I can't believe you let him go back there," Vataloni hissed as she tossed a Jawa cloak onto the fire they had started, "He'll be heartbroken!"

"He needs to see there is nothing for him here anymore," Obi-Wan stated calmly, handing her another cloak, "This is good for him, I promise."

Luke had offered Vataloni and Obi-Wan a well-cooked meal from his aunt, and when they had agreed, everyone loaded up into Luke's cramped landspeeder and made their way back to the Lars farm. Along the way, they had come across a destroyed Jawa transport. The large vehicle was heavily damaged, and look suggested it could have been the raiders. Vataloni, however, noted that the tracks were not single file, as was traditional to the natives, and belonged to someone different. Obi-Wan studied the blast markings along the sides of the ship, and finally concluded they were Imperial Stormtroopers, since they were the only ones who could have been so accurate in their shot. Vataloni's blood was chilled when she realized the Imperials were still on the planet, and when Luke informed the pair that these dead Jawas were the ones who sold him R2 and 3PO, everyone instantly knew what the Stormtroopers were after; the droids. Before either could stop him, Luke had jumped into his speeder and sped off towards his home.

"He'll find them dead, and he'll be destroyed inside," Vataloni argued, planting her hands firmly on her hips, "Then you'll have an angry student with powers beyond his understanding. May as well call him a Sith now and get it over with!"

"If I may say," 3PO commented from beside her, "Master Luke, from what I have seen, is a very calm sort of person. A little short at times, yes, but very calm."

"Calm could just mean he's suppressing everything," Vataloni groaned, glaring at Obi-Wan, "Suppressing things isn't good!"

"He will be fine," Obi-Wan assured her, "Trust me, his anger is not our main concern. We still need to find a transport to get us out of here and to Alderaan. We don't have any money, Vataloni..."

"Luke can sell things," she suggested, "What wasn't destroyed could be worth something."

"But we'll also need a pilot," Obi-Wan commented, letting out a soft sigh, "Someone who can fly us to Alderaan without too much suspicion."

"Mos Eisley is full of them," Vataloni stated, "And they all want to make a quick buck. No one will care about where we're flying."

"But what we'll really have to worry about is the troops," Obi-Wan continued, "Mos Eisley will be crawling with them. The droids will have to be cloaked if we want them to get anywhere without getting any Imperial attention."

Vataloni glanced over to the pair of droids and sighed, "We're going through an awful lot of trouble for two droids. Are you sure this is worth it?"

"The Rebellion needs our help," he stated, brushing some hair out of her face, "I promise... Once it's over, and Luke us safely with them, we'll find a new home. Somewhere else..."

"Somewhere green," she chuckled, standing up on her tiptoes and giving him a firm kiss, "Somewhere where the Empire doesn't rule."

"Of course, I wouldn't live anywhere else," he laughed, kissing her forehead. His eyes wandered back across the desert, "He's returning."

Vataloni turned around and spotted the speeder moving swiftly across the sands in the darkening desert. She reached out to Luke, and felt his feelings of depression, loneliness and shock. She shook her head and gave Obi-Wan's hand a soft squeeze, "He's upset."

"I feel it too," he whispered, releasing her hand and strolling over to Luke's speeder, which had finally stopped. Vataloni continued to throw Jawa cloaks onto the large fire, watching her love interact with the young, distraught man.

"There's nothing you could have done, Luke, had you been there," Obi-Wan assured, "You'd have been killed, too, and the droids would be in the hands of the Empire."

"They're in a much better place now," Vataloni added as she walked over, "They are in a place of peace."

Luke's eyes were brimming with tears that he fought valiantly to hold back, "I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing here for me now... I want to become a Jedi, like my father."

Vataloni grinned widely and summoned the droids, "Then we need to get moving... All the time we waste here could mean life and death for our companions."

* * *

The ride to Mos Eisley was a lot longer then Vataloni had anticipated. The speeder was small, and she had to sit on Obi-Wan's lap just so there would be enough room to fit the droids in the back. She couldn't really complain, but she had a feeling after the first hour or so she would be getting heavy on his legs. They had made periodical stops every so often, just to allow Luke and Obi-Wan the chance to stretch their legs and walk around a little while Vataloni checked the map.

The city itself was as it always had been. Droids, alien creatures of all backgrounds and humans crowded the streets, everyone trying to sell something or another to earn some money. There were the few who were rich, but Vataloni knew they stayed off the street for most of the day, only to avoid being robbed of their hard-earned riches. The entire community was full of smugglers and thieves, not to mention countless bounty hunters working for the notorious Jabba the Hut, the lead mobster of these parts. Vataloni had run into the creature once before on a trip into town, and was forced to kill a few of his henchmen in order to escape with her life. She had a feeling he wouldn't exactly welcome her into town with open arms if she was caught, so she loosened her long, flowing hair, then pulled her hood up.

The domed houses had not changed in the slightest bit, though they looked much more worn, and the signs advertising upcoming podraces were still up. The podracing had stopped a few years ago, due to lack of participation. Vataloni wondered why they still advertised it if no one was racing. Obi-Wan did not seem as in to the scenery as she was, and she followed his gaze to a troop of officers who were stopping traffic and asking people questions.

"Remain calm," Obi-Wan ordered to Anakin as the trio of Stormtroopers walked slowly up to the landspeeder. Vataloni turned around on his lap so that she was now facing the leader of the interrogating party. He looked at the droids and nodded to them, "How long have you had those droids?"

"About three or four seasons," Luke replied without hesitation, his voice deadly even and composed. Vataloni held in her smile. Obi-Wan wrapped his hands around her waist and stared up at the Stormtrooper, "They are for sale, if you want them."

"Let me see your identification," the officer said to Luke, ignoring Obi-Wan. Vataloni waggled her fingers back and forth slowly, "You don't need his identification..."

The officer's tone suddenly slackened and he shook his head, "We don't need his identification."

Obi-Wan also called upon the Force and brushed his hand to the side, "These are not the droids you're looking for."

"These aren't the droids we're looking for..."

"He can go about his business," Vataloni concluded, retracting her hands together and setting them in her lap. The officer nodded, "You can go about your business."

"Move along."

"Move along, move along," the officer ordered, waving Luke to keep going and stalking off to the next speeder.

* * *

Luke pulled up in front of a bar near the spaceport and whipped around, watching the Stormtroopers question other cruisers, giving him no more trouble. Vataloni glared at the Jawa that had run up to the speeder and began to caress it. She waved her hands in his direction, using the Force to give it an extra push away. It spat something at her, most likely an insult, then scuttled off to the rest of the Jawas hidden in the shadows.

"I still can't believe we got away from those troopers!" Luke gushed, "I thought we were dead!"

"The Force has a strong influence of the feeble minded," Obi-Wan explained, "You will find it a powerful ally."

"Though you should not use it, unless you really have to," Vataloni stated, shooting Obi-Wan a pointed look, "Using it for one's own purpose to succeed in life is not what the Force is for."

Luke nodded and everyone awkwardly got out of the small speeder, their legs seeming very cramped from sitting for such a long time. Obi-Wan balanced himself on Vataloni's shoulder for a moment and she grinned, "Journey too hard on you, old man?"

"Hush," he chuckled, rubbing his forehead, "I stood up too quickly, that's all."

She snorted and turned back to study the bar. It looked slightly old and run down, and when the door opened, she could hear some jazz music slowly descending out. She prepared herself for a lot of drunk aliens, but hopefully a few sober pilots.

"Do you really think we'll find a pilot in here who'll take us to Alderaan?" Luke inquired, pulling his triangular cloak on over his head and letting out a sigh. Vataloni shrugged, "Who knows."

"Most of the best space freighter pilots can be found here," Obi-Wan explained, grabbing Vataloni's hand and walking forward, "Only watch your step... It can get a little rough."

Vataloni grinned; she was up for a challenge.

The trio stepped inside the bar with ease, and the droids followed behind closely. They barely made it a foot through the door when the barkeeper told them off for bringing the droids in, and they would have to wait outside. Luke quickly shooed R2 and 3PO outside and rejoined Obi-Wan and Vataloni, his eyes darting curiously around the bar. Vataloni had been in there once before, she had needed a quick drink after a long day of arguing with shopkeepers about their prices. Most of the costumers around the place were upper-class, and made more money then the rest of the citizens. This, however, did not mean they were civilized. Brawls would randomly break out, shots would be fired, people would be killed, and the music never stopped for more then a moment during the chaos. Perhaps the music kept the rest of the costumers sane.

Obi-Wan leaned down and whispered, "Check out the bar, away from Luke and I. Find a man named Solo... He's supposed to have a fast ship."

Vataloni chewed over the name, "Solo? Isn't he that cocky one we heard about?"

"Just find him," Obi-Wan muttered, "Hopefully he'll be worth it. Luke and I will scan the bar."

Vataloni looked at them both and raised an eyebrow, then pointed a warning finger at them, "No drinking, from either of you. I don't want to carry two drunk bodies around, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Luke chuckled, leaving Obi-Wan's side to go sit at the bar. Vataloni sighed, "Look after him."

"Of course."

She gave him a quick kiss before sliding off through the crowd, trying not to stick out too much. Her black cloak did make her stand out from the brightly coloured creatures, some of whom were dancing, drinking, or singing along with the band. The entire bar was encased in darkness, making it difficult to pick out who was who. Vataloni had no idea what the man looked like, this Solo character, and began to get frustrated. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, mentally scolding herself for being worked up about it; it made her feel childish. Although she never quite considered herself mature and grown up, she was no longer the whimpering girl she had been with Palpatine.

Looking back, she noticed Obi-Wan was sitting with a Wookie at one of the tables, talking very quickly with the large, furry creature, and pointing to Luke and herself a few times, and went back into his conversation. Vataloni guessed the creature worked for Solo, since Obi-Wan seemed set on getting that certain pilot to fly them to Alderaan.

A creature stumbled forward drunkenly and grabbed her behind, giving it a firm squeeze. She jumped in shock and whipped around, only to watch the alien stumble off to another girl, giving her the same treatment. Vataloni wrinkled her nose in disgust, but suddenly caught sight of a creature robed in black, with a long trunk-like mask covering it's face. It was either looking at her, or at something around her. Suddenly feeling a little nervous, she hurried deeper into the crowd of people.

* * *

Despite the small row that had happened between Luke and one of the drunker aliens in the bar, everything was going smoothly for the trio. The wookie Obi-Wan had been talking to went by the name of Chewbacca and was the first mate on the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo's ship. They were planning to meet the human pilot briefly to discuss prices. Vataloni prayed the pilot wouldn't ask for too much, since they still had to sell Luke's speeder to get some money in order to pay for their trip.

Chewbacca led them over to a small table near the back of the bar. Seated at it was a simple looking man, brown hair, dark eyes, slightly tanned skin. His dress was similar to a military style Vataloni had seen on one planet, but she doubted he was a military man. His white shirt, though slightly dirty, was covered with a black vest that matched his black pants and boots. He wore a cocky smile as he motioned for Vataloni and Obi-Wan to sit. Luke stood at the side, unable to fit onto their side of the booth.

"Han Solo," he introduced, his voice reeking of arrogance, "I'm the captain of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie here tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system."

"Only if it's a fast ship," Vataloni stated, her lips curving up into a smile at his shocked face. He leaned closer, "Fast ship? Sugar, have you never heard of the Millennium Falcon before?"

"Should we have?" Obi-Wan inquired simply, dawning a look of aged innocence. Han blinked twice, "It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less then twelve parasecs!"

Vataloni's jaw dropped in fake awe and she decided to fuel his ego, only to make him happy, "Wow..."

"I've outrun Imperial starships, not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you," Han bragged, shooting Vataloni a grin, then looking over to Obi-Wan, "I'm talking about the big Corellian ships now. She's fast enough for you, old man. What's the cargo?"

"Passengers only," Obi-Wan explained, "Myself, Vataloni, the boy, two droids... And no questions asked."

Han frowned and leaned a little closer, "What is it? Some kind of local trouble?"

"Let's just say we don't want any... Imperial entanglements," Vataloni stated, shooting him a flirtatious grin. She knew Obi-Wan never cared if she used her looks to get them things. She used to play 'the bait' in old missions with Anakin and himself, so her looks weren't a new tool of the trade. Vataloni knew men liked her, and knew the man who liked her the most wouldn't ever lose her to some scumbag.

"Well..." Han sighed, leaning back and swirling his drink around in the bottle, "That's the trick, isn't it? That'll cost you something extra... Ten thousand in advance."

Vataloni's eyes widened and Luke scoffed, "Ten thousand! We could almost buy our own ship for that!"

"And who would pilot it, kid? You?" Han laughed, shooting Luke a taunting look. Vataloni could already tell if they took this pilot that he and Luke would be at each other's throats whenever they had the chance. Luke's cheeks flushed and he glared at the man, "You bet I could! I'm not such a bad pilot... We don't have to sit here and listen to this-"

"We don't have that much now," Vataloni pleaded. Obi-Wan placed a hand on her back, silencing her, "We can pay you two thousand now... And fifteen thousand when we get to Alderaan."

Luckily, Vataloni had her jaw resting on her hand, or it would have fallen open and hit the table. She hoped Bail Organa would be willing to fund that much on Obi-Wan, if they reached the planet, that is.

"Seventeen thousand, huh?" Han repeated, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "You've got yourself a deal... We'll leave as soon as you're ready, docking bay ninety-four."

"Ninety-four," Obi-Wan affirmed, nodding his head and standing up. Han's eyes traveled past then and he motioned to a few stormtroopers that were speaking with the barkeeper, "Looks like someone is taking an interest in your handiwork from before..."

Vataloni cursed Obi-Wan, and wished he hadn't used his lightsaber on the creature who was bothering Luke. She knew how he felt, however. He longed to get back to the old ways, even though he would never admit it. He missed them.

"Stay with Han," Obi-Wan whispered, then turned to Han, "Look after her until we meet up... We'll be leaving as soon as we can."

Obi-Wan grabbed Luke's arm and they swept away upon the approach of the stormtroopers. Vataloni quickly pushed Han Solo further into the booth and sat in the crook of his arm, her hand resting on his chest. Turning her head up to him, she whispered, "Put your hand on my cheek."

Chewbacca gave a soft howl from beside Han and he quickly did it, covering up her face completely with his large hand. She placed her delicate fingers over his, holding them there until the troopers had walked past. Once Vataloni felt their presence leave, she pushed his hand off and leaned out of the booth, watching their white uniforms and helmets get further and further away.

"You're pretty good at not being noticed," he complimented, "Done it before?"

"Many times," she replied absentmindedly, "I hate it when he leaves me behind."

"What?" he asked, "Your old man?"

"He's not my father, if that's what you are implying," she grumbled, turning back to face him, "We're a couple..."

He raised an eyebrow, "Darlin'... I think you can do much better then that old guy."

"Thanks," she chuckled, letting out a dreamy sigh, "I love him though... So I don't think I really want to do any better."

"Is he secretly rich?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then what's the point of him?" Han blurted. The wookie across from her expressed his agreement with a low growl and nodded his head. She laughed, "It's very complicated... But I don't want to talk about my love life... I want to see your ship!"

* * *

Han had sent Vataloni alone to go see his ship, since a small, blue-green alien had arrived just as they were leaving, a blaster in his hand, and demanding to speak with Solo alone. Vataloni took the hint and decided she didn't really need the captain to find out where the dock was. The tunnels that led to the loading bays were small, and cramped full of creatures. She wished she had not traveled alone, since she had been felt up several times on the trip, but never reacted to any. She kept her attention focused on finding the Millennium Falcon without getting lost.

She stepped into the docking bay, only to stumble upon Jabba the Hut, accompanied by several other alien pilots, all searching around a large ship, one which most likely belonged to Han Solo. Vataloni froze in mid-step and stared in bewilderment as the slug-like gangster turned back to face her. His eyes narrowed and he was clearly trying to remember where he had seen her before.

Han finally rushed into the docking bay, panting slightly, and placed his hands on her shoulder, twisting her around so his back was to Jabba, "Sorry... Forgot they'd be in here. This'll only take a minute."

"You owe Jabba?" she hissed, glaring at him, "You owe him! Of all people, Solo... Really!"

"Don't give me lectures, sweetcheeks," Han grunted, "I get enough of them from Chewie... Lemme handle this and they'll be out of here."

Han stepped forward with long, strong steps, though slightly lazy ones, "I've been waiting for you, Jabba."

"Have you now?" Jabba inquired, sliding forward, his large tail swaying behind him, "Han, my boy, you disappoint me. Why haven't you paid me? And why did you fry poor Greedo? After all we've been through..."

"You sent Greedo to blast me."

Vataloni assumed Greedo was the short little creature she had seen before she left Han in the bar.

"Han... Han," Jabba clucked, shaking his head, "You're the best smuggler in the business, you're too valuable to kill. He was only relaying my concern of your delays... He wasn't going to blast you."

Vataloni tuned out their argument and glanced at Chewbacca, who rolled his large brown eyes and let out a long sigh. She grinned, "My thoughts exactly."

* * *

"What a piece of junk!" Luke exclaimed when he stepped into the docking bay and finally gazing upon the ship. Vataloni rose from the crates she had been sitting on and hurried over to them, "He does business with Jabba the Hut... Be mindful of him."

Han slowly began walking down the ramp of his ship, a cloth in his hand; apparently he had been cleaning up the ship before the group arrived, "She'll make point five beyond the speed of light. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've added some special modifications myself."

Vataloni pursed her lips together, not entirely believing his boastings. The ship was nearly falling apart in several places, and she wondered if it would just combust into nothing when they were past the planet's atmosphere. Obi-Wan sighed, "It will have to do..."

Chewbacca suddenly hurried in behind the human trio and the two droids, urging them towards the ship. Han chuckled, "We're uh... a little rushed for take off, so if you'll hurry aboard, we can get out of here."

Vataloni frowned, wondering why he was so anxious to leave. Perhaps he just wanted to get this job over and done with so he could collect his money.

Obi-Wan, Luke and the droids brushed past Han, 3PO giving him a hearty 'Hello, sir!' before following everyone on board. Vataloni hung back, checking out the exterior of the round ship in further detail. Han crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Everything to your liking?"

"I suppose," she stated, "I'm not used to being a passenger... I like to fly myself."

"As long as you aren't a backseat driver, everything will be ok," he stated. Vataloni studied him, wondering whether it was a threat or just a joke to lighten the mood. She smirked, "I'll remember to keep my mouth shut."

"Good," he muttered, "There's nothing more annoying then a woman who won't shut up when she should."

Vataloni shifted her weight to one leg and placed a hand on her hip, "Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

She opened her mouth to snarl something back at him, but the clunking of boots sounded from the outside hall and when they both looked to the entrance of the large hanger, a troop of white stormtroopers began firing at them repeatedly.

"Stop that ship!" came the thunderous order of an officer. Han drew out his blaster and began shooting back, cringing when a few bolts hit the side of the ship. Vataloni groaned and whipped out her lightsaber, igniting the double-sided weapons in a flash and deflected some of the shots. Han stared at her with amazement, "You're one of them... Aren't you? Those Jedi people-"

"I'll explain later!" she shouted above the roar of gunshots, watching in horror as the Imperials began to load up a much larger gun on a stand, "Let's get out of here!"

Han finally pocketed his blaster and ran up the boarding ramp, Vataloni close at his heels, deflecting a few more shots.


	3. A Bad Feeling

_I do not own the characters created by George Lucas, only my own. I also use direct dialogue from the movie, since some scenes are copied from it. I do not claim to own them. Much thanks to the book 'A New Hope' by Ryder Windham to help with the lines and stuff for this one, and to the online scripts I've found. They really help. _

_Again – I do not, in any way, claim that any lines that have been published before are mine... They are necessary to fit the story. _

_

* * *

_

_Vataloni's View_

Vataloni's head rested in Obi-Wan's lap as she watched him put Luke through some small, basic drills to get him familiarized with his lightsaber. One of his hands rested leisurely on her head, twirling her long curls around his finger, while the other cupped her head, either keeping her weight off his legs, or straightening out her body so she would be more comfortable. She naturally assumed it as the second one. He suddenly released her hair and placed a hand on his forehead, exhaling sharply. She frowned and sat up, gently touching his arm, "Are you alright?"

"You didn't sense it?" he inquired with a hint of surprise in his voice, "The pain... Don't you feel it?"

She shook her head and pulled his hand away from his forehead, replacing it with hers, "I don't feel anything... What's wrong?"

"It's as if... a million voices suddenly cried out in terror," he stated, his eyes narrowing, "Then were silenced."

"What do you think it was?" Luke asked, pulling up the helmet he had been wearing and resting it against his hip, "Something happening?"

"You're too tuned into the Force," Vataloni suggested, running a hand through his hair affectionately, "Relax a little..."

He sighed as his shoulder slumped down a little, "Maybe... Luke... You better get on with your exercises."

Vataloni returned her head to his lap, casually glancing over at Chewbacca and the droids. R2 had challenged Chewie to a game similar to chess, and was apparently winning. The wookie let out an angry cry and slammed his fist into the table, causing R2 to beep at him in a scolding manner. The wookie groaned and made his move, suddenly grinning as his character threw the droids' off the board. Vataloni grinned, then turned her attention back to Luke. He was handling his seeker droid well, deflecting many of the shots it sent him as it hovered above his head. The difficulty level was set on Easy, but Vataloni was confident he would do better if they challenged him more later on.

They were seated in one of the living areas of the ship, away from the cockpit, where they had left Han Solo. The Imperials stayed directly on their tail once they had gotten into space, and the ship was nearly taken over. Luckily, Han jumped to lightspeed in time, and they managed to escape Imperial clutches. Vataloni worried that the ships codes had been copied. If they had, she was sure all the Imperial ships out there would be on the look out for them.

"Well... I told you I'd do it," Han announced loudly as he entered the room, his stride arrogant, "You can forget about your troubles with those Imperial slugs... Told you I'd outrun them."

Luke was clearly too focused on deflecting blast bolts to notice, and Obi-Wan most likely didn't care. Han slunk down into a chair across from Vataloni, grumbling, "Don't everyone thanks me at once."

"Thank you," Vataloni said finally, shooting Obi-Wan a small glare, "They're thankful too... Just too into the lesson."

Han snorted, "Anyway... We should be arriving in Alderaan at about oh... two hundred hours."

"It's not soon enough," Vataloni sighed, rising from Obi-Wan's lap and curling up on her chair, her legs tucked in neatly underneath her, "I won't feel safe until we arrive."

"What are you running from anyway?" Han asked, taking a small fruit from the basket on the round table beside him and munching on it contently, "You guys seem to have pissed some people off."

Vataloni smirked, "We have a tendency to do that."

"Correction," Obi-Wan muttered, rubbing her back, "You have a tendency to do that... People love me."

She snorted loudly and shot him a look, then rolled her eyes, but jumped when Chewie let out a loud howl, screaming at R2 thunderously. Han seemed undisturbed by the actions, and Obi-Wan merely made a face, annoyed with out it was distracting Luke.

"It was a fair move!" 3PO exclaimed, waving his bent arms in the air, "There's no use screaming about it."

"Let him have it," Han stated, turning back to watch the game, "There's no point in upsetting a wookie."

"Yes... But sir," 3PO replied, "No one ever worries about upsetting a droid."

"That's 'cause droids don't rip peoples arms off when they lose," Han chuckled, reclining in his chair and placing his arms behind his head, shooting Chewie a look. 3PO looked between the two and nodded, "New strategy, R2... Let the wookie win."

Vataloni giggled and used the Force to get herself a fruit that was in the shape of a pear, but when she bit into it, tasted oddly like an apple. She shrugged and continued eating it contently, glancing back at Luke every so often to see how he was doing. Han cleared his throat, "So... You're one of those Jedi, huh?"

"Yup," Vataloni laughed, "Always will be..."

"I heard the Emperor has a price on a Jedi death," he informed her, taking another bite out of his fruit, "So I wouldn't go around tell it to everybody."

"I think I can handle myself," she chuckled, sliding a finger along her lightsaber, "Never do without it."

"Nothing is as good as a blaster by your side," Han disagreed, looking over at Luke. The young man swung out and Vataloni felt Obi-Wan mentally increase the level of bolts shot. As soon as Luke was overwhelmed, his speed lessened and he got hit on the hand, causing him to leap back in shock and shake his hand, looking at it through worried eyes. Vataloni smiled, remembering all the times she had been hit when she first learned to use her lightsaber. Of course, Palpatine had used real blasters then, and not ones that only gave you a shock, which was the main reason why Vataloni used to hate training. Even in her early thirties, she hated doing drills with Obi-Wan. He routinely made her do drills during their stay in Tatooine, stating it would make her skills sharper. She figured he really just had nothing better to do.

"Remember," Obi-Wan said gently, "A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him!"

"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke inquired, sucking on the side of his hand. Obi-Wan sighed, "Partially... But it also listens to your commands."

"Try again," Vataloni urged, sending him an encouraging smile. He inhaled deeply and brought his lightsaber back up, following the seeker droids every movement, until finally, he missed another shot, and was hit on the opposite hand. Han burst out laughing and tossed the core of his fruit back into the trash can, "I told you... Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for agood blaster at your side, kid."

"You don't believe in the Force, do you?" Luke asked, his hands hanging limply at his side. Han smirked, "Listen, kid... I've been from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. Just a lot of cheap tricks and nonsense."

"We've seen that already," Vataloni commented, shooting him a look, "The Force can save your life, when you know how to properly use it."

"A pretty girl like yourself can get on just fine," he emphasized, "Without your whole Force junk. Bat at someone with those long eyelashes of yours and I'm pretty sure they'd let you go, no matter what you did wrong."

Vataloni rolled her eyes, "Maybe looks works on you, Captain Solo... But not everyone in this universe lets a pretty piece of flesh walk by without any trouble."

"I think you should try once more, Luke," Obi-Wan said loudly, cutting off the argument that was stewing between Vataloni and Han, "But this time... Put the blast shield down on your helmet."

Luke pushed the large shield down and chuckled slightly, blinding reaching out into thin air, "But... But with the blast shield down, I can't see a thing..."

"Eyes can deceive you," Vataloni informed him, remembering the same lecture from Obi-Wan many years ago, "Don't trust them."

"Let go of your instincts, and trust your feelings," Obi-Wan instructed, ignoring the sniggering Han beside Vataloni. Luke raised his lightsaber once more and swung out at the seeker droid, which dropped down low and fired a shot at him. He growled loudly and swung out blindly again. Vataloni rolled her eyes, "Be calm. Use your feelings. Sense the droid."

He finally relaxed and straightened up, his lightsaber mimicking the droids movements perfectly. Vataloni smiled at her ability to teach someone so easily, and let out a happy giggle when Luke deflected several shots, finally getting hit on the upper arm and calling it quits for the day.

"It's just luck," Han reflected loudly. Obi-Wan took Luke's helmet and hung it up on the rack, "In my experience there's no such thing as luck."

"Look going good against remotes is one thing. Going good against the living? That's something else," Han ranted, shooting all three of them a smug look. Vataloni privately agreed with his knowledge. She couldn't wait to see how Luke reacted under heavy fire, something he would no doubted receive once he was in the war.

A little light started flashing over Han's head, and he looked up, "Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan... Come on, Chew."

The two departed quickly to the cockpit, leaving the trio alone for a moment. Luke sent Obi-Wan a broad grin, "You know... I did feel something there!"

"That's good," Vataloni praised, placing a hand on his forearm, "You've taken your first step into a much larger world."

Luke hurried off, and the droids instantly followed him out. Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her into him, "I think he'll do well, don't you?"

"Very well," she whispered, standing up taller and walking her fingers up his chest, "With you teaching him... How could he go wrong?"

"Not all my students turned out well," he reminded, looking away sadly. Vataloni pushed her lips up into his and delicately cupped his face. All these years had passed, and she still enjoyed his touch. She broke away, staying close enough that their noses touched lightly, "Just because you had one bad apple, doesn't mean the rest will be sour."

He smiled and gave her another swift kiss, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she purred, winking at him, "Maybe we could-"

The ship violently jerked to the side, causing the couple to tumble over. Obi-Wan clutched the wall desperately to regain his balance, and Vataloni clung to him, trying not to fall over herself. The ship gave another bounce and they fumbled for footing. Obi-Wan groaned, "It's never this rough coming out of lightspeed!"

"We must be off in our calculations," Vataloni guessed, grabbing his hand and dragging him off to the cockpit. They stumbled inside, and Vataloni fell forward onto the back of Luke's chair. She let out a grumble and settled down into a seat, "What's going on!"

"Han says we came out in a meteor shower," Luke explained loudly over the rumbling of the ship. Vataloni glanced up at Obi-Wan, but he seemed preoccupied with something else. She made a face and leaned closer to Han, "Is that what's happening? Where's Alderaan...?"

"There is no Alderaan!" Han shouted over the racket of his shaking ship, "We're flying through it... What's left of it."

"That's impossible!" Luke countered, "You can't just... destroy a planet!"

"It was destroyed," Obi-Wan said suddenly, bringing all attention to him, "By the Empire."

Han shook his head and began frantically flipping through controls, "The entire Starfleet couldn't destroy the whole planet. It'd take a thousand ships with more fire power than I've-"

Han was cut off by an alarm sounding above their heads and he moaned, "Oncoming ship!"

Chewie barked softly and began to check the signal, when suddenly an explosion echoed throughout the ship, causing everyone to grip their seats in order to hold on. A small TIE fighter ship whizzed by, it's trademark scream screeching behind it. Luke glared at the tiny ship, "It followed us!"

"It's a short range fight," Vataloni protested, "There has to be a base out here... There's no way it could get this deep into space!"

"There aren't any bases out here!" Han argued, "How could it get out here?"

"It doesn't matter," Obi-Wan dictated, "What matters is they've seen us, and they'll identify us-"

"Not if I can help it! Chewie, jam its transitions," Han ordered firmly. The wookie nodded and began twisting knobs along the control board. Vataloni wished she had been better at flying, or atleast kept up with her skills. She used to be pretty good, but now she had a feeling she would be useless at flying if she ever gave it another try. Luke moved closer, placing his hand on the headrest of Han's seat, "Maybe he's just gotten lost... Part of a convoy or something."

"Well he won't be around long enough to tell anyone about it!" Han stressed. Vataloni squinted and spotted something in the distance. It was a small, round planet, "Look... He's headed for that moon..."

"I think I can get him before he gets there," Han reasoned, increasing the speed of his ship, "He's almost in range."

Obi-Wan gasped softly behind her and Vataloni looked back. He was staring at the moon, his eyes suddenly going very tired, "That's no moon... That's a space station."

Han shook his head and grunted, "It's too big to be a space station..."

Vataloni's eyes widened. Palpatine had told her about a 'Death Star' that he was going to build, something that was going to make inferior planets bow to his will. At the time, Vataloni brushed it off as rubbish and he just thinking too big. But the station ahead fit the description he had made of it, and Vataloni began to panic. If this was opperational, then it would have the ability to destroy entire planets in a single blast. Perhaps thatw as what happened to Alderaan?

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Luke commented as the Millennium Falcon drew closer to the station. Han stared at the massive construction, his jaw hanging open for a moment, until, "Yeah... Me too... Chewie, full auxiliary in reverse... Full power in reverse!"

Vataloni watched Chewie frantically push the same controls over and over again, but nothing seemed to have any effect on the advancing ship. She began chewing on her lip nervously and shot a look to Obi-Wan. He placed his hand on her shoulder as the ship started to rattle again, clearly trying to fight the pull towards the station. Luke's eyes darted around to the other passengers, "Why are we still moving forward!"

"We're caught in a tractor beam," Han growled, shooting Luke a frustrated glare, "I'm on full power, and there is nothing I can do about it, kid! I'm going to have to shut down... But they aren't taking me without a fight!"

"You can't win," Vataloni sighed, "We're too small."

"There are alternative ways, however," Obi-Wan stated. The group looked back to him and he grinned.

This was why she loved him.

* * *

"This must be killing Han to hide like this," Vataloni giggled, snuggling into Obi-Wan's chest when there was a sudden rattle of the ship. Han had shown the crew two storage hold in the floor of the ship, and when Obi-Wan insisted they hid in them, Han made the most disgusted face, but in the end agreed. It was a little difficult getting R2 and 3PO down into the holds, but they managed. While Obi-Wan, Vataloni and the droids squished into one of the holds, Luke, Han and Chewbacca lay silent in the one directly beside it. They had watched through the cockpit windows as the ship was sucked into the hollow dock inside the large, circular space station, and when Han spotted an officer in black checking for people in the windows, everyone was forced to crawl along the floor until they were out of sight.

It was the first time Vataloni had seen and heard Obi-Wan give way to old age. He was nearly out of breath as he jogged along behind the younger men, but Vataloni wondered whether or not it was an act, one he had pulled several times before. A helpless old man is not as much of a threat as one that can actually look after himself.

Loud footsteps suddenly thumped along the top of the compartments, and Vataloni felt the urge to shrink down and into the smallest corner of the compartment. More thunderous footsteps clunked across the floor, and Obi-Wan tightened his grip on her, giving her a distinct hushing sound when she inhaled sharply. Someone was standing directly over their compartment. The person stood for a moment, then carried on, barking orders to lesser officials. They were searching for the passengers, and there was no telling how long they would have to look.


	4. Captured and the Escape

_I do not own the characters created by George Lucas, only my own. I also use direct dialogue from the movie, since some scenes are copied from it. I do not claim to own them. Much thanks to the book 'A New Hope' by Ryder Windham to help with the lines and stuff for this one, and to the online scripts I've found. They really help. _

_Again – I do not, in any way, claim that any lines that have been published before are mine... They are necessary to fit the story. _

_

* * *

_

_Vataloni's View_

"It's a good thing you had these compartments," Vataloni commented as Obi-Wan lifted her out of theirs, "Or we'd have been caught for sure."

"I use 'em for smuggling goods," Han explained, "I never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them. This is ridiculous. Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam!"

Vataloni let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through her hair. Han was very quick about jumping to conclusions. Most of the time, it seemed, the first thing that came to mind came out his mouth. He never took a moment to think things through.

Obi-Wan made sure the droids were in good condition, and then pulled his hood up over his head, "You leave the tractor beam to me."

"Damn fool," Han snarled, "I knew you were going to say that!"

Vataloni glared at him, and made a motion to jump to her love's defense, but Obi-Wan merely dawned a calm smile, "Who's the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows the fool?"

"Don't you-"

"Enough," Vataloni hissed, causing the attention onto her, "Bickering won't get anything done. We need to get off this ship and into the station. From somewhere safe we'll make out plans... We're in the open here, and will most likely have to deal with some sort of resistance."

"Maybe we should get some kinda disguise?" Luke suggested, his eyes brightening up. Han made a growling noise deep within his throat and he crossed his arms, "And what should we go as? Dancing girls? C'mon, kid... Be-"

"Stormtroopers," Obi-Wan said loudly, "First, we'll need uniforms. Once we have them, Han, take Chewbacca and go to the control room. It'll be a good place to make a plan in. Luke, Vataloni and I will follow, along with the droids. Incase you run into trouble, you'll have to handle it."

"That's a good plan, old man," Han noted, casting a look at Chewbacca, "But where are we supposed to get the uniforms?"

"Lure two of them up here," Obi-Wan stated, "When they come check on the cargo near the ramp, call them up... Vataloni and I will deal with them then."

Luke grabbed Han's arm and dragged him off to the entrance of the ship, leaving Obi-Wan and Vataloni alone. She wrung her hands together nervously, "Ben... What if we get caught?"

"Come now," he chuckled, planting a kiss on her forehead, "That doesn't sound like a Jedi... If we get caught, we escape."

"Promise me nothing will happen to you," she whispered. Obi-Wan grinned and smoothed her hair out of her face, "I promise."

Two gunshots went off from the main entrance of the ship and Obi-Wan let out a growl,then followed Vataloni to the source of the noise. Han stood over a smoldering pair of stormtroopers, Luke at his side, telling him off. Chewbacca growled angrily and picked up the officers, then began removing their helmets and armor. Vataloni clenched her fists together, "You had to resort to a gun? They could have heard that!"

"Well you two were taking your glory sweet time," Han scoffed, taking a helmet from Chewie and stuffing it into Luke's stomach, "I figured I should take things into my own hands."

"Never assume you, of all people, should do that," Vataloni snarled, crossing her arms, "The less amount of commotion we make, the better!"

Luke and Han quickly put on their stormtrooper uniforms, and while Luke remained behind, Han snuck out with Chewbacca, making their way towards the control room one floor above the flight deck. Vataloni discarded of her black cloak, and resumed her black dress. It was long, nearly past her feet, but form fitting around the top half of her body, making it easier for her to move. It was a personal preference for the wide bottom part of the dress. She used to hate dresses like that, but over the years she grew fonder to them. She attached her lightsaber to her hip, and let her hair hang loose. She grumbled at its length, then whipped out her lightsaber and ignited it, cutting off a large chunk hair.

"You know, I hate it when you do that," Obi-Wan commented as she tossed the large pile of hair into the back. Obi-Wan had a weird phobia of loose hair; he always made a big long rant that it should be attached to people's heads, not floating around in the air. Vataloni would give him her typical eye roll, and usually tuned it out.

Her hair was now the same length as it had been when she last saw Anakin, the real Anakin. It was several inches below her shoulders, and began to produce larger curls, due to the fact it was no longer being weighed down.

"I'm getting a message," came Luke's muffled voice beneath his helmet, "It says... TX-four-one-two. Why aren't you at your post? TX-four-one-two, do you copy?... What should I do?"

"You need to distract them away from the microphones, so they can't call for help when Han breaks in," Vataloni explained, "Go down the ramp, and signal to the main controller that your helmet transmition isn't working. Hit your ear twice, then shrug."

* * *

Luckily, Han had followed the simple instructions he was given, and when Luke, Vataloni, Obi-Wan and the droids made their way up to the control room, the two guards were dead and stuffed into the corner. However, Vataloni had heard the shots all the way down the hall, and was not pleased that he did not even bother to silence his gun. Perhaps only the guns of her youth had silencers on them. She reminded herself her youth wasn't that long ago, and she needed to stop thinking she was old.

She was the last to enter, and quickly shut the sliding door and made sure it locked. Luke pulled off his helmet and slammed it on one of the control panels, "You know, between his howling and your shooting everything in sight... It's a wonder the whole space station doesn't know we're here!"

"Bring them on!" Han argued, "I'd prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around!"

Vataloni rolled her eyes and turned to 3PO, "Find a computer plug in and try to find the power generators. When we find those, Obi-Wan will be able to shut them down."

"Yes, ma'am."

Vataloni glanced around the control room. Everything was in grey, other then the flashing, colourful buttons on the panels. Many of the monitors were black with red writings moving quickly across it, most likely checking up on the functions of the space station. There were small seats located in front of the many desks, all of which were loaded with more machines and monitors. Grey, black and white seemed to be the most predominate colours in the room, which, for some reason, gave Vataloni the chills. She faintly heard Obi-Wan talking with 3PO about the location of the power generators, but she didn't bother to listen. She knew he would make her stay behind anyway, and if she knew where he was going, she would be tempted to follow him.

"I'm afraid you boys will have to stay behind," Obi-Wan concluded. Han snorted, "Fine by me... I've gotten more on this trip then I bargained for anyway."

Vataloni moved over to Obi-Wan quickly and gave him a tight hug, then let go, not saying anything. She knew by the look in his eyes something bad was going to happen.

"Love you," she whispered, her voice barely heard above Luke begging to go with Obi-Wan. He smiled, "Love you, too."

He turned to Luke and planted a firm hand on his shoulder, "The Force will be with you... always."

He sent Vataloni one last look, then opened the door, his back facing out. After quickly looking over his shoulder, he disappeared, the metal door whooshing closed behind him. Vataloni sighed and settled down in a chair, listening to Chewie let out a low moan, then an abrupt bark. Han smirked at his friend, "Yeah... I agree. Where did you dig up that old fossil?"

Vataloni shot him a glare, and Luke moved to Obi-Wan's defense, "Ben is a great man."

"Yeah," Han chuckled, "Great at getting us into trouble."

"I don't see you giving any ideas."

"Well, anything would be better than just hanging around waiting for him to pick us up..."

"Who do you think-"

R2 suddenly burst out into an array of loud whistles and beeps, its domed head spinning around in a circle a few times. Vataloni frowned and stood up, slowly walking over to him and glancing down at the monitor he was in front of. It was a birds-eye display of the detention block, and one of the cells was flashing. 3PO hobbled over and listened to R2 for a moment, then turned to her, "He says... "I've found her!" and keeps repeating, "She's here." I'm not quite sure what to make of it."

"Who? Who has he found?" Luke demanded, putting his quarrel with Han aside for a moment and joining Vataloni. 3PO stayed silent for another few seconds, listening, then replied, "Princess Leia."

Vataloni's eyes widened; of course! In her message she said her ship had been taken over, and she would soon be prisoner. This must have been where she was taken, and if she was here, that meant Anakin was here. Vataloni already knew Anakin, or Lord Vader, was here, since she could feel the entire station pulsating with the Force before they were even inside. Obi-Wan felt it too, but he remained silent about the issue.

She tuned back into the conversation as 3PO told the group what cell block she was in. Vataloni could feel Luke's energy picking up, and could tell he was getting excited, "We need to find her! We need to rescue her!"

Han, looking utterly confused, stumbled forward, "What's going on? What are you talking about?"

"These droids belong to her!" Luke exclaimed, motioning to R2 and 3PO, "She's the one in the message! We've got to help her!"

"Now hang on a sec," Han ordered, trying to calm Luke, "Don't get any funny ideas. The old man said to wait here."

"We need to help her," Vataloni agreed softly, "She's in pain. I can feel it."

"Exactly!" Luke cried, awkwardly adjusting his stormtrooper uniform, which was slightly too big, "Ben didn't know she was here! Look, will you just find a way into the detention block?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Han stated, folding his arms over his chest while R2 scanned the files. Luke groaned and moved towards his companion, "Look, it says they're going to execute her! A few minutes ago you said you didn't want to just wait here to be captured. Now all you want to do is stay!"

"Marching into the detention hall is not what I had in mind!"

"They're going to kill her..." Vataloni mused to herself, a little louder then she meant to. Han glared at her, "Better her then me!"

He sat down on one of the large black chairs and turned away from the group, signifying he wasn't going to move from that spot. Vataloni figured they may as well let it go, but Luke decided to pursue the issue. He leaned down on Han's chair and whispered, "She's rich."

Vataloni grinned; he had said the magic words.

Han slowly turned his head to face him and raised an eyebrow, "Rich?"

"Yes. Rich, powerful! Listen, if you were to rescue her, the reward would be..."

"What?"

"Well more then you can imagine!"

"I don't know... I can imagine a lot."

"You'll get it."

"I better."

"You will!"

"All right kid," Han sighed, standing up and towering over Luke slightly, "But you better be right about this."

Vataloni cleared his throat, "How exactly are we going to get in there? Only the pair of you have stormtrooper uniforms... Chewie and I don't."

Luke chewed on his lip for a moment, then darted to the back of the room, returning with two pairs of handcuffs. He walked over to the wookie and went for his hands, "Okay... Now I'm going to put these on you-"

Chewie let out a thunderous howl and swatted him away, his upper lip snarling at Luke. The young man slowly backed away and stuffed the handcuff into Han's hands, "Okay, you're going to put them on him."

Han snatched the handcuffs away and moved over to Chewie, "Don't worry pal... I think I know what he's getting at."

"And Vataloni, let me put these on you," Luke stated, nodding for her to turn around. Letting out a sigh, she placed her hands behind her back and squirmed slightly when Luke snapped the metal cuffs onto her wrists. She hoped he had the keys to get them out of these when they were in the right place, since she wasn't in the mood to summon the Force and use it to help her escape. She missed Obi-Wan already, which was starting to drain her abilities. She needed to snap out of it and stay focused on the task.

"Let's just hope we don't get separated," Vataloni declared as she stood beside Chewie, looking up at him, "We'll kinda stand out, don't you think?"

The wookie let out a soft growl and nodded his furry head. Luke and Han pulled their helmets back on, and Han grabbed Chewie's arm, then waited for Luke. 3PO watched them leave, and called out in distress, "But Master Luke... What should happen if we are discovered?"

"Lock the door?" Vataloni suggested. Han nodded, "And hope they don't have blasters."

"That's not very reassuring..."

* * *

Vataloni had received a few curious stares from the officers as she strolled through the halls of the Death Star. It was very reassuring that she had her stormtroopers behind her, which had turned out to be a huge advantage; no one once had stopped them for questioning, so far. She was getting used to the dress code. Stormtroopers were in white, superior commanders and officers were in black, and the higher ranking officials were in grey.

"I can't see a thing in these helmets," Luke stressed quietly as they passed another troop, "Vataloni... If I step on your feet, I'm sorry."

"What do you mean, IF?" she hissed, "You've done it like... eight times already!"

"Sorry."

Han snorted loudly, but stopped when a commander in black stepped in front of them. His eyes traveled over Chewie with disgust, then onto Vataloni and he raised an eyebrow, "Where are you taking these ... prisoners?"

"Detention block 1138," Luke said strongly, stepping forward. The officer frowned, "All human captives are supposed to go straight to Tarkin and Vader... I'll have to take her."

Vataloni's eyes widened and she shot a look of dismay back to Luke, who scrambled to get her hands back in his clutches when the officer took her away. Luke chuckled nervously, "That's not necessary... We... uh... cleared it already."

"They want to search all human prisoners personally," the officer explained, grasping Vataloni's bound hands and dragging her down the hall, only after sending Luke and Han annoyed glares. Vataloni's brain began clicking, thinking of any possible ways for escape. The halls were long, and doorless, and she had a feeling the rare door here and there would have people behind them anyway. The officers were all in jackets, pants and boots, all of their rank colour, topped off with large or small hats. She couldn't blend in with any of them, and the fact that she was a girl didn't help her situation that much either.

"Do you think you could loosen these cuffs?" she asked as they made their approach to a large, black door, "These are really tight... My fingers are going numb."

"I'm sure you'll survive," he grunted, pressing on the comlink, then taking a step back. A raspy voice came out from the small speaker, "What!"

"I have a prisoner here, Sir," the officer stated, "A human from the ship that's being searched."

"Bring him in."

Vataloni glared at the door; how could they just assume she was a man? The door slid open and she felt herself being shoved in by the officer. Her eyes immediately fell on Darth Vader. He was standing next to a long, silver table, and at the end was seated an aged man in a grey uniform, most likely the Tarkin character the official had been talking about. He had an oddly shaped head, almost resembling an upside-down triangle, and was balding, and thin. Vataloni had seen him in the senate once or twice before, when he had hair.

But Darth Vader was huge. He towered over everyone in the room,and seemed menacingwith his large, black exterior suit and helmet. His breathing was steady, but loud. She had heard his lungs were nearlydestroyed, which was the main reason to have a raspirator.A lengthy black cape hung loosely down his back, and he just seemed much bigger then what Vataloni remembered. When she and Anakin worked together, they were close in heights, though he was always taller. Now he was a good head and a half taller, which was intimidating. Vataloni held her head up high and kept her expression blank, hoping he wouldn't somehow sense her growing fear. She'd always had difficulty masking her fear.

"Well, this is a surprise," Tarkin exclaimed, rising from his chair and dismissing the guard, "And who might you be?"

Vataloni remained silent, but kept her gaze fixed on Vader. He held up his hand, and instantly her lightsaber flew into his grasp. She cursed silently; it was stupid not to have given it to Luke or Han. Straightening up, she knew she could handle herself, with or without her weapon. Tarkin strolled over to Vader and took the sword, igniting the double-sided weapon with slight awe, "I didn't think these were made anymore."

"They are a rare find," Vataloni stated, her voice completely even, "And I'd like it back, please. You know it's rude to take other people's things, Anakin."

Tarkin raised an eyebrow, "Vader... Do you know this Jedi?"

He slowly nodded, his heavy breathing staying at the same pace. Vataloni wondered if the constant inhale-exhale-inhale-exhale ever got annoying. She took a large step towards Vader and made large eye movements to her lightsaber, "Give it back, Anakin."

"That name," he snarled, his voice sounding mechanic, and a lot deeper then she remembered, "Means nothing to me. I'll be keeping this, for now. And you will address me as Lord Vader and nothing more, understood?"

"I'll call you whatever I damn well please," she hissed, her eyes narrowing at him, "I know you as Anakin Skywalker, and I will call you Anakin Skywalker!"

"I don't mean to break up this tender moment of your meeting," Tarkin cut in, setting the lightsaber down on the table after he had turned it off, "But we have more pressing matters to discuss, at the moment. Do you know that ship you were on is wanted by the Imperial forces?"

"I hadn't the faintest idea," Vataloni lied, glaring at him, "All I know is that we were attacked when we were leaving Tatooine for no apparent reason. The wookie and I-"

"Were not the only ones on the ship," Tarkin snapped, "Where are the rest of them?"

"We were the only ones!" Vataloni argued. She thought of using the Force on him, but his mind may already be too strong for it. She needed to get out of here, or she knew she would be hauled off to the detention area. A light bulb turned on; that was it! If she was there, hopefully she would run into Luke and Han.

Tarkin moved between her and Vader and roughly grasped her upper arm, hauling her back and forcing her to sit on the table. She was in shock at the old man's strength. Perhaps he knew how to manipulate the Force too. She shot him a glare, "Careful now... I tend to bruise."

"Vataloni has always been one with a poisonous tongue," Vader commented, "Though she has gotten bolder with age... You haven't changed much, Vataloni."

"I'm sorry I can't say the same for you, Anakin," she snarled, looking him up and down again, "Is there actually a man in there, or a machine with a voice chip?"

"She does have fire," Tarkin laughed, clutching her chin and shaking her head back and forth for a second, "I can see why the Emperor liked her so much."

Vataloni's eyes widened and she gulped, "Emperor? Palpatine..."

"It's good to see you remember your Master," Vader complimented, "He's been searching for you, Vataloni. You have a Sith tradition to uphold for him."

The very thought made her want to throw up and she shifted uncomfortably, "I'm not a Sith... I don't owe him anything."

"I'm not one to argue with you," Vader stated, "You'll battle it out with him once we send you there. Now, where is Kenobi?"

Vataloni's breath suddenly became uneven, "Send me there? Send me to him?"

She was normally very calm in situations like this, but the very thought of returning to Palpatine, after all these years, was enough to send her into a panic. Tarkin placed his hands behind his back, his eyes narrowing at her, "Answer the question... Where is Kenobi? We know he's on board... Vader can sense him, so there's no point in lying."

"Send me to him..." Vataloni repeated, still stewing over the idea, "You can't... I won't let you!"

She used the Force to ignite her lightsaber, which cut her hands loose in the process, then managed to send Vader and Tarkin stumbling back into the black wall surrounding them. She grasped her weapon, using the Force once again to slide the door open and dash out.

"STOP HER!"

Glancing back, she noticed Tarkin and Vader were out of the office, ordering a hord of stormtroopers to recapture her, and bring her back to them. Groaning, she picked up the pace and tore off down the hall, her long blade deflecting oncoming shots from both in frontand behind her. Where she was running, she had no idea, but she decided to just let her feet guide her, noting that they had served her well in the past.

She needed to regroup with Han and Luke, and perhaps Obi-Wan, sometime soon. Finally, she rounded a corner and pulled a lone officer against the wall, stuffing her lightsaber up close to his throat, "Where is the detention area?"

He stayed silent, so Vataloni pressed her hand against his throat and pushed the lightsaber a little closer, "Don't think I won'tkill you... Where is it!"

"Third floor," he grunted, taking shallow breaths loudly. She reversed her grip on his neck and twisted it, temporarily knocking him out. The loud clunking sounds of the stormtroopers boots became louder and louder as they got closer to her, and she took off again, running to the nearest elevator and locking herself inside. Hopefully they wouldn't shut off the power to that specific elevator.

Hopefully.


End file.
